LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Undaunted by Gov. Mike Beebe's rejection of a House bill that would have outlawed most abortions starting in the 20th week of pregnancy, an Arkansas Senate panel backed a measure Wednesday that would ban most abortions beginning in the 12th week.

The Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee advanced the 12-week ban on a 5-2 vote, sending the measure to the full Senate. The Republican-controlled chamber passed an earlier version of the bill that would have outlawed abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, but amended it to push back the restriction and to add more exemptions.

Beebe, a Democrat, called the Senate version "even more problematic" than the Republican-controlled House's version he vetoed Tuesday, which is based on the disputed notion that a fetus can feel pain by the 20th week, and thus shouldn't be subjected to the procedure. Beebe contends that it runs afoul of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion until the point where fetuses can survive outside the womb, usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

The Legislature is expected to seek to override Beebe's veto, and needs only a simple majority to do so. The governor declined to say Wednesday whether he would also veto the Senate's 12-week ban version, but he said he thinks it has more constitutional problems than the House's 20-week restriction.

"I'm pretty sure I know what I'm going to do on a bill that's even more problematic than the one I already vetoed, but I won't tell you officially until that time," Beebe said Tuesday.

GOP Sen. Jason Rapert said he hopes Beebe lets it stand but said he was confident the 12-week ban would have enough support to override a veto.

"The governor has his own conscience," Rapert, R-Conway, told reporters. "I think probably the best route would be that he just simply not sign the bill and let it become law, if that's what he decides to do. If he doesn't, then we'll override the veto and it'll become law in the state of Arkansas."